New York Rangers Obtain Signing Rights To Barclay Goodrow
Forward Barclay Goodrow is slated for unrestricted free agency on July 28 and in the meantime very well might be left exposed in the NHL Expansion Draft, leaving him free to negotiate with the Seattle Kraken. However, should he not sign with Seattle, Goodrow’s exclusive negotiating rights now belong to the New York Rangers. The team took the minor risk of getting a head start on contract talks with the two-way winger by sending a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for his expiring contract. That risk will be well worth it if Goodrow signs with New York, as he was expected to draw considerable interest on the open market. The Lightning were not able to extend Goodrow due to salary cap concerns, so they will happily settle for an extra draft pick.
While Goodrow was known as a good two-way forward during his time in San Jose, he blossomed over the past two seasons in Tampa. His offense has improved as has his physicality, creating a dangerous bottom-six combination. A hard-nosed player who excels at even strength and on the penalty kill, Goodrow could assist the Rangers in a number of ways. Namely, new GM Chris Drury wanted to make the team more difficult to play against and adding Goodrow would accomplish that.
However, New York needs to be careful not to negotiate against themselves in this situation. While there has already been rampant speculation that Goodrow could command a long-term contract or considerable salary this off-season, that is with the presumption that he reaches the open market. The Rangers have too many promising young players that will need expensive extensions down the road, not to mention a major hole at top-six center, to get roped into overpaying for a bottom-six forward. Their only competition for Goodrow right now is the Seattle Kraken, otherwise they would be wise to negotiate as if they have exclusive rights and try to keep Goodrow’s value from being artificially inflated before free agency begins.
Vancouver Canucks Trade For Jason Dickinson
Before the Expansion Draft roster freeze went into effect at 2:00pm CT, it was confirmed that both the Vancouver Canucks and Dallas Stars had a trade waiting in the queue at NHL Central Registry. As it turns out, the deal was with each other. As first reported by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the Canucks have acquired center Jason Dickinson from the Stars. The return is a third-round pick in this year’s NHL Draft. Dickinson had been on the fringe of expansion protection consideration for Dallas and the team determined that he was not worth protecting, but was not worth the risk of losing for free either. Vancouver is now of course expected to protect Dickinson from the Seattle Kraken.
Dickinson’s value lies in his versatility, both positionally and on special teams. While it is hard to argue against him not being one of Dallas’ top seven forward to be protected from expansion, he was undoubtedly a top-nine forward for the team. Dickinson has been nothing if not consistent in his scoring over the past three seasons as well; with the opportunity to finally play 82 games this season, one can safely predict at least ten goals and 25 points out of Dickinson this season. Vancouver is a club that cherishes two-way ability and players who can move up and down the lineup. They could use more dependability in their scoring as well. Dickinson unequivocally fits that description and should mesh well with the team. Given the history of GM Jim Benning, it would not be a surprise to see the restricted free agent center sign a multi-year extension this summer before ever suiting up for the team.
The minute that Ben Bishop waived his No-Movement Clause for the Expansion Draft, allowing Dallas to protect veteran goaltender Anton Khudobin instead, Dickinson immediately became the odds-on favorite to be selected by the Kraken if left exposed. The Stars will miss the useful forward moving forward, but at least were able to recoup a small return rather than lose him for nothing. Dallas will likely look to replace Dickinson with a similar versatile, high-floor, bottom-six forward this summer.
Roster Freeze Notes: Sharks, Flames, Dunn
With NHL Expansion Draft protection lists due at 4:00pm CT today, the league has enacted a freeze in all roster transactions that goes into effect in less than an hour from now at 2:00pm CT and lasts through Thursday morning after the Expansion Draft is complete. NHL teams are not taking this deadline lightly; numerous reports suggest that the trade market is no less than a complete frenzy right now as teams look to use their expansion flexibility (or lack thereof) to make deals before the clock runs out. Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland spoke with an agent who said he has never seen so many players available for trade from so many teams.
One team that seems poised to make a move are the San Jose Sharks. The Athletic’s Kevin Kurz reports that the Sharks are attempting to add a goalie before the deadline. San Jose is likely to expose expensive, underperforming starter Martin Jones in the Expansion Draft and seemingly would be open to exposing young Josef Korenar as well if they can add another legitimate NHL goaltender worth protecting. Not many teams across the league have the luxury of adding a goalie before the expansion process begins, so the Sharks are trying to take advantage of a goalie market with far more sellers than buyers.
- The Sharks are certainly not alone in pushing for a last-minute deal. The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch reports that among the most active teams are the Winnipeg Jets, who are shopping Mason Appleton, the Calgary Flames, and the Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks appear to be specifically targeting a landing spot for restricted free agent defenseman Nikita Zadorov, Garrioch notes. There has been some speculation that Chicago was not enthused about Zadorov’s asking price or potential arbitration award, but don’t necessarily want to expose him to Seattle and lose him for nothing in return. The Flames are far less single-minded; Garrioch calls the roster “unsettled” and believes that many players could be up for grabs.
- St. Louis Blues defenseman Vince Dunn is out there in current trade discussions as well, reports Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic. The 24-year-old has been in trade speculation for the last couple of years now but expansion could be the pressure point to get something completed. Many expect St. Louis to use the standard protection scheme which allows for seven forwards and three defensemen. The three blueliners expected to be protected in that scenario are veterans Colton Parayko, Torey Krug, and Justin Faulk which would leave Dunn unprotected and seemingly a prime target for the Kraken. They could go to eight skaters to protect Dunn but would then leave three more forwards available to Seattle. Accordingly, if the Blues want to get an asset for Dunn, today may be the last chance that can happen.
Chris Driedger Expected To Be Taken By Seattle In Expansion
The protection lists won’t be finalized for a few hours yet but it appears Seattle knows who they will be taking from the Panthers. Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic reports (Twitter link) that the Kraken will select goaltender Chris Driedger from Florida and sign the pending unrestricted free agent to a new contract.
Driedger has definitely been a late bloomer. After Ottawa non-tendered him back in 2018 following a season that saw him post a 4.04 GAA in the AHL, he went to Florida on a two-way deal, doing well enough to earn another two-way contract in 2019, one that just expired now. But instead of serving as their third or even fourth-string goaltender as they intended, the 27-year-old worked his way into an early-season promotion in 2019-20 and has stayed with the Panthers ever since.
He finished off that season with a 2.05 GAA and a .938 SV% in 12 games and while he wasn’t quite able to duplicate those numbers this past season, he came pretty close, posting a 2.07 GAA with a .927 SV% in 23 games. By comparison, Sergei Bobrovsky, who they intended to have as their starter, had a 2.91 GAA and a .906 SV% in his 31 appearances. Bobrovsky carries a $10MM AAV while Driedger made just $850K.
Driedger will certainly be in line for a significant raise on his next deal even though he’s still quite inexperienced in the NHL with all of 38 games under his belt. If Seattle winds up selecting and extending him as expected, he should get an opportunity to push for the number one role depending on which other goaltenders the Kraken pick on Wednesday.
As for Florida, this will be a much different expansion experience for them. Last time, they lost both Reilly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault to Vegas with the two becoming top-six fixtures for the Golden Knights ever since. Now, they appear to be set to lose a player they were highly unlikely to retain anyway with top prospect Spencer Knight also in the mix for playing time between the pipes. Losing someone they weren’t going to be able to keep is basically the best-case scenario for them, a nice reversal of fortune from 2017.
Expansion Primer: Anaheim Ducks
Over the last few weeks, we have been breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The last expansion draft was one that the Anaheim Ducks likely want to forget. The team protected seven forwards and three defensemen in order to retain their core offense, but doing this left defenders Josh Manson and Sami Vatanen both exposed. While the Ducks tried to extend their competitive window, they dealt up-and-coming defenseman Shea Theodore to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for the team selecting Clayton Stoner instead of Manson or Vatanen. With their roster a shell of itself from four years ago, the Ducks likely won’t have nearly as much to worry about this time around.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, Rickard Rakell, Danton Heinen, Sonny Milano, Derek Grant, Troy Terry, Nicolas Deslauriers, Isac Lundestrom, Sam Steel, Max Jones, Vinni Lettieri, Sam Carrick, Alexander Volkov, Nick Sorensen
Defense:
Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm, Josh Manson, Kevin Shattenkirk, Haydn Fleury, Jacob Larsson, Brendan Guhle, Josh Mahura, Trevor Carrick
Goalies:
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
F Ryan Getzlaf, F David Backes, F Carter Rowney
Notable Exemptions
F Trevor Zegras, F Max Comtois, D Jamie Drysdale
Key Decisions
Anaheim’s key decision surrounds which protection path they’d like to use. The team is rather well-equipped to use either the 7F/3D route as well as eight skaters, but either way, the team is probably losing a semi-important piece. Anaheim has a glutton of players who are young enough to have promise but too old to be considered prospects, meaning they’re all eligible for selection.
Up front, the Ducks have a group of five forwards in Troy Terry, Isac Lundestrom, Max Jones, Sam Steel, and Alexander Volkov who could all very well be at least reliable middle-six pieces down the line. On defense, there’s Haydn Fleury to be concerned about, who’s oozed potential since locking down a full-time NHL role and was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline.
Mix in the fact that Anaheim has two valuable trade chips that will almost certainly be protected. While not a part of their realistic long-term plans at this point, Rickard Rakell and Josh Manson are both prime trade candidates either this offseason or at next year’s trade deadline. Anaheim won’t want to lose out on the assets they could recoup for those two, and they’ll be protected in either scheme. Cam Fowler and Hampus Lindholm are stalwarts on the blueline and arguably their two best veteran skaters at this point and will be protected. It makes Anaheim’s decision rather clear: lose Fleury, or lose one out of the group of young forwards?
In all likelihood, Anaheim leans towards the latter option. Fleury showed legit NHL capability this year, especially down the stretch with the Ducks. He received top-four worthy ice-time, and his possession numbers supported that usage. Meanwhile, both Jones and Steel have struggled to find consistency at the NHL level, while Volkov figures as more of a depth piece anyways.
Projected Protection List
F Rickard Rakell
F Troy Terry
F Isac Lundestrom
F Max Jones
D Cam Fowler
D Hampus Lindholm
D Josh Manson
D Haydn Fleury
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (5): Adam Henrique, Jakob Silfverberg, Sonny Milano, Derek Grant, Nicolas Deslauriers
Defensemen (2): Kevin Shattenkirk, Jacob Larsson
The Ducks won’t have any trouble hitting either of these thresholds no matter which protection path they choose. They’ve got a large amount of veteran skaters signed through next season, meaning that they’ll have no trouble exposing two forwards and one defenseman. While names like Adam Henrique or Kevin Shattenkirk seem like potential veteran building blocks for the Kraken, they’ll likely be able to find similar players elsewhere that come with a better value proposition. Anaheim should still walk out of the expansion draft with their main roster and core intact.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Expansion Primer: Arizona Coyotes
Over the last few weeks, we have been breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
The last time the Coyotes faced an expansion draft, they ended up losing a player that they had no intention of even signing. Teemu Pulkkinen was an unsigned restricted free agent that had played just four games for the Coyotes at the end of the 2016-17 season. He was grabbed by Vegas and signed to a one-year deal, but spent the entire season in the minor leagues before going to the KHL. In retrospect, Brad Richardson likely should have been the Golden Knights pick, but even that certainly wouldn’t have pushed the needle very much for them. This time around they are in a similar situation, though there may be a couple of names more interesting to the Kraken than Pulkkinen ever was to Vegas.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel (NMC), Nick Schmaltz, Christian Dvorak, Tyler Pitlick, Lawson Crouse, Johan Larsson, Christian Fischer, Brayden Burke, Conor Garland, Tyler Steenbergen, John Hayden, Dryden Hunt, Blake Speers, Lane Pederson, Frederik Gauthier
Defense:
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Jakob Chychrun, Ilya Lyubushkin, Kyle Capobianco, Cam Dineen, Dysin Mayo, Vili Saarijarvi
Goalies:
Darcy Kuemper, Adin Hill, Marek Langhamer
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
F Derick Brassard, F Michael Bunting, D Alex Goligoski, D Niklas Hjalmarsson, D Jason Demers, D Jordan Oesterle, G Antti Raanta
Notable Exemptions
F Barrett Hayton, D Victor Soderstrom, G Ivan Prosvetov
Key Decisions
With so many unrestricted free agents coming off the books this summer, the Coyotes are actually in a position to add players over the next few days. The team could potentially nab an impact defenseman or an extra forward and protect them, something that not many teams can accommodate right now. If teams are out there in danger of losing a valuable asset for nothing, why not get at least a clearance price in the desert.
If that doesn’t happen though, there is a decision to make upfront. The team has to protect Kessel unless he waives his no-movement clause, but he was their leading scorer last season anyway. Garland is still an RFA and there have been rumors of trade talks, but he’s also one of the team’s most important assets. Keller, Schmaltz and Dvorak are basically all underperforming in terms of how much they’re being paid, but unless the team wants to attempt a drastic cap cut by letting them go to Seattle for free, they’ll be protected. Crouse is coming off a brutal year where he scored just four goals in 51 games, but is still young enough (24) and cheap enough ($1.53MM) to be worth hoping on a bounce-back season in 2021-22.
That leaves just a single protection slot for a group of forwards that includes Pitlick, Larsson, Fischer, Hunt and Hayden. None of those names jump out as a “must-protect” player, meaning the Coyotes could be exposing a handful of fringe forwards and letting the expansion team have their pick, just like a few years ago. Pitlick perhaps leads that group in terms of likelihood, but it’s not a slam dunk for any of them.
One interesting name to mention is Bunting, who is a Group VI unrestricted free agent but has gotten some offseason hype because of his late-season play and gold medal at the World Championship with Team Canada. The 25-year-old forward scored more goals (10) in 21 games for the Coyotes than Pitlick and Fischer combined, and could be an interesting target for the Kraken in their exclusive negotiating window. That is unless the Arizona front office signs him first, given they still have the capability to protect him.
On defense, there’s little worry about losing an impact player. The Coyotes will protect Ekman-Larsson because of his NMC and Chychrun because he’s the team’s best player. After that, there’s nothing really left to use the third spot on. Lyubushkin would be a nice piece to protect, but he is currently the only player (other than Ekman-Larsson and Chychrun) who meets the exposure requirements. If the team signed another one of the defensemen that have passed the games played threshold–say, Goligoski–then he would become the third player protected on the back end over Lyubushkin anyway.
In net is the biggest decision of them all for Arizona. Kuemper or Hill? The former is a much more established name and is a legitimate starting option, but the latter is six years younger and could still have a bright future. The face that Hill is signed for just $800K next season is likely appealing to both the Coyotes and the Kraken, but it would be too risky to leave Kuemper exposed with such few other intriguing options on the roster. A trade here seems prudent, though any acquiring team would need room to protect either one, certainly not an easy thing to find right now.
Projected Protection List
F Clayton Keller
F Phil Kessel
F Nick Schmaltz
F Christian Dvorak
F Lawson Crouse
F Conor Garland
F Tyler Pitlick
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson
D Jakob Chychrun
D Kyle Capobianco
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (2): Johan Larsson, Christian Fischer
Defensemen (1): Ilya Lyubushkin
Meeting these requirements isn’t really an issue, unless the team desperately wants to protect Lyubushkin. That would require a new deal for someone else and then subsequently leaving them exposed, which doesn’t seem likely at this point. That said, it does actually pose a complication if the team ever wanted to trade one of Kuemper or Hill, since they would then need a different netminder to meet the exposure requirements. In all, it looks like the Coyotes might just take their chances losing whoever Seattle has their eye on and move forward like they did a few years ago.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Jeff Skinner Waives No-Movement Clause For Expansion Draft
The Buffalo Sabres will get an extra protection slot at this month’s expansion draft after Jeff Skinner agreed to waive his no-movement clause according to John Vogl of The Athletic. Sabres GM Kevyn Adams requested it on Tuesday morning and Skinner agreed, allowing the team to protect an extra forward.
Skinner, 29, is an unlikely target for the Seattle Kraken, given his high price and poor production the last two seasons. Since signing an eight-year, $72MM contract in 2019, the winger has scored just 21 goals and 37 points in 112 games. He had just 14 points this past season, spending much of it on the fourth line. His no-movement clause would have forced the Sabres to protect him over a player like Rasmus Asplund, who is a more likely target for expansion.
This is a pretty big gesture of good faith from Skinner, who certainly didn’t need to waive a clause that the Sabres knowingly gave him just two years ago. The move does not waive the clause for the purpose of a trade, only to stop the automatic protection in the draft. But still, selfishly, it may have benefitted Skinner to see the Sabres lose a younger player like Asplund or Anders Bjork who could be battling for the same top-six ice time next season.
The Sabres already had plenty of options to fill the exposure requirements at forward, but Skinner will now be added to that group. It is interesting to wonder about the connection between the forward and Kraken GM Ron Francis from their time together in Carolina, but it still seems unlikely that the expansion club would want to take on his $9MM cap hit. That deal has proven to be one of the worst in the entire NHL, though there is obviously production still in there if the team finds a way to unlock it.
Sure, Skinner was given this contract after a career year where he scored 40 goals, but it’s not like he hadn’t come close to those numbers before. He reached the 30-goal mark on three other occasions and even scored 37 in the 2016-17 season. A brilliant skater and talented finisher, if the Sabres can find a way to mitigate his weaknesses while promoting his strengths, there is still time to get some value back.
Trade Rumors: Tarasenko, Buchnevich, Schmidt, Predators
It is well-known by now that St. Louis Blues star Vladimir Tarasenko has requested a trade, but the extent to which he will go to make sure that request is honored may still be a surprise. Unlike other standout players with trade protection who simultaneously demand a trade while holding their team hostage with a limited list of acceptable destinations, Tarasenko is reportedly taking an “anywhere but St. Louis” approach. The Athletic’s Arthur Staple writes that Tarasenko, who has a full No-Trade Clause in his contract, has nevertheless provided the Blues with a considerable list of teams that he would be amenable to ending up with. Per multiple sources, Staple relays that the length of the list is “double-digits at least”. One team that is known to be on Tarasenko’s list of preferred destinations are the New York Islanders, though the salary cap implications would be tricky for such a deal. It is unknown if other teams who have checked in – the Boston Bruins, Edmonton Oilers, New York Rangers, and Washington Capitals – are also on the list, but the odds are in their favor. One way or another, Tarasenko will be dealt, putting an end to an injury saga that was only resolved once Tarasenko went outside the organization to repair his shoulder. He should be fully healthy moving forward, but with some doubt and a hefty contract, there is some concern about what the Blues will recoup in a trade, if anything. Some have speculated that they may need to attach their first-round pick in order to move the pricey veteran, while others believe he will be exposed in the Expansion Draft in hopes that the Seattle Kraken take him for free instead.
- While it is unclear exactly why, it has become obvious that Pavel Buchnevich‘s name is being floated on the rumor mill. The Athletic’s Rick Carpiniello confirms as much, but does not know the source. This could be a case of teams simply making calls to the New York Rangers about Buchnevich following a career year, creating the illusion that he is available for trade whether the team is taking those offers seriously or not. However, there is also a good chance that the Rangers are at least actively listening or even shopping Buchnevich. The 26-year-old winger has improved significantly in each of the past two years since signing his last contract with the Rangers. Now he is a restricted free agent with arbitration rights and the ammunition to command a sizeable pay raise. With more depth on the wing than at center, including top picks Alexis Lafreniere and Kaapo Kakko, New York could choose to save the cap space for improving the center position, especially if Buchnevich can help to accomplish that goal as part of a trade. Carpiniello also notes that the Rangers have a number of young standouts who will require expensive extensions this summer and in the coming years and the team could be hesitant to let Buchnevich’s deal get in the way. Of course, this is all still speculation, but for whatever reason Buchnevich’s name is out there.
- It was reported last week that the Vancouver Canucks and defenseman Nate Schmidt could be heading for a split this summer after a less than inspiring first season. However, the team has since publicly denied any talks to trading Schmidt. Nevertheless, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli still debuted Schmidt at No. 12 on his Trade Targets board and believes that there is something to the rumors. Schmidt was not a good fit in Vancouver this season but still has value in the eyes of teams across the league; he appears to want to maintain that value by leaving the Canucks. Vancouver likely does not want to give up leverage by admitting that their is a mutual desire for a move, but could very much use his cap space.
- The NHL Expansion Draft allows flexibility with protection schemes, offering teams the ability to protect seven forwards and three defensemen or, in the event that there is a fourth defensemen worth more than protecting three additional forwards, the eight-skater approach. However, there is not much a team can do when they want to protect five defenseman (unless they somehow feel they can afford to only protect three forwards.) The Nashville Predators appear to be facing this conundrum. Earlier in the season, the team entertained trading Mattias Ekholm because it was assumed they wanted to protect Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis, and Dante Fabbro and seven forwards in the upcoming Expansion Draft. However, once the team began to improve and Ekholm was not moved before the Trade Deadline, it then became more likely that they would go with eight skaters instead, keeping all four defensemen. The late-season breakout of Alexandre Carrier threw a wrench in those plans though. The 24-year-old Carrier outplayed and ultimately took the job of the 23-old Fabbro and now the Predators do not want to lose either for nothing to the Seattle Kraken. It has previously been reported that Nashville is trying to construct a side deal with Seattle that would see the NHL’s newest team take a player of the Predators’ choosing with an additional cost, rather than having an open selection of all exposed players. However, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that in the even such a deal cannot be reached, the Predators will try to trade one of their top five defenders. LeBrun believes it will be one trade route or the other; Nashville will not protect all five defensemen.
Expansion Primer: Buffalo Sabres
Over the last few weeks, we have been breaking down each team’s situation as it pertains to the 2021 NHL Expansion Draft. Which players are eligible, who will likely warrant protection, and which ones may be on the block to avoid the risk of losing them for nothing? Each team is required to submit their protection lists by 4:00 PM CDT on July 17th. The full eligibility rules can be found here, while CapFriendly has an expansion tool to make your own lists.
When the Buffalo Sabres last faced an expansion draft, they were coming off a last-place finish in the Atlantic Division and didn’t have a ton of high-end talent to protect. Names like Tyler Ennis and Johan Larsson ended up being protected over a little-known rookie named William Carrier, who would go on to become a fan favorite in Vegas. The 6’2″ Carrier is an absolute wrecking ball on the ice and has racked up 734 hits in his 214 regular season games with the Golden Knights. Though the team will obviously try to avoid making the same mistake, there are some interesting decisions to be made in Buffalo this time around.
Eligible Players (Non-UFA)
Forwards:
Jack Eichel, Jeff Skinner (NMC), Kyle Okposo, Sam Reinhart, Victor Olofsson, Cody Eakin, Zemgus Girgensons, Anders Bjork, Tage Thompson, Casey Mittelstadt, Rasmus Asplund, Andrew Oglevie
Defense:
Rasmus Ristolainen, Colin Miller, Rasmus Dahlin, Henri Jokiharju, William Borgen
Goalies:
Notable Unrestricted Free Agents
F Drake Caggiula, F Tobias Rieder, D Jake McCabe, G Linus Ullmark, G Carter Hutton
Notable Exemptions
F Arttu Ruotsalainen, F Dylan Cozens, G Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen
Key Decisions
This expansion primer could be made obsolete at any moment, given the offseason that is about to start in Buffalo. The team has had extensive trade talks about Eichel, Reinhart and Ristolainen, three players who were once considered building blocks for the franchise. If any of them are moved before the draft, things could be drastically altered.
But if things stay the same for the next few days? There are some tough decisions to make.
At forward, Eichel, Reinhart, Mittelstadt and Olofsson are easy choices for protection. Skinner’s no-movement clause makes him a must-protect, even though the Sabres would obviously like to leave him exposed. That leaves just two spots for the trio of Thompson, Bjork and Asplund, who have all shown flashes of high-end NHL potential but have lacked consistency. The 23-year-old Thompson has spent the most time in Buffalo, arriving from the St. Louis Blues in 2018 and playing 104 games with the team. He signed a three-year, $4.2MM deal in 2020 and registered 14 points in 38 games this season. There are a lot of questions surrounding Thompson’s game, but the 6’7″ forward will still likely get at least one more kick at the can in Buffalo, so protection is warranted.
For Bjork, things aren’t so dissimilar. He came in the Taylor Hall trade this season and is signed through the 2022-23 season on a three-year, $4.8MM deal. He had six points in 15 games after arriving in Buffalo and it would be hard to watch him snatched up by Seattle just a few months after arriving in such a major trade.
That leaves Asplund on the outside looking in, but who knows if Seattle would even have any interest. The 23-year-old has registered eight goals and 14 points in 57 career games, splitting this season between Buffalo, Rochester and Sweden. There is real offensive potential in Asplund, but as a restricted free agent without a ton of experience under his belt, might be passed over without much attention anyway.
On defense, Dahlin leads the way as an obvious choice, but things are a little cloudier after that. Jokiharju likely deserves protection after showing some signs of improvement late in the season, but he was also a huge disappointment early on. His lack of development was a huge problem for the Sabres this season, even if he is still definitely young enough to continue to improve.
It’s the third spot that becomes completely unclear at this point, given that Ristolainen is still on the roster. The team appears to have an NHL-ready replacement in Borgen, but he has just 14 games of experience under his belt to this point. Leaving Ristolainen unprotected would essentially be handing a valuable asset over to Seattle, even if his time with the Sabres organization has come to an end. A trade makes sense, but as of now Ristolainen is still on the roster and needs that final protection spot.
One thing to point out is that Buffalo spent a sixth-round pick last expansion draft to protect an extra goaltender, keeping Vegas away from Ullmark while protecting future Golden Knight Robin Lehner. This time they don’t have anything to worry about in the goaltending situation with no one even signed, but perhaps they could do something similar to protect Asplund or Borgen, if necessary. There’s also the possibility that the Kraken decide to sign one of Buffalo’s free agents, namely Ullmark, if they believe him to be the most valuable option. The team has a short window before the draft to negotiate with pending UFAs, but it would count as their selection from the Sabres. Unlike some of the other free agents around the league, there’s no expansion issue stopping Buffalo from re-signing their starter—in fact, they don’t even have a goaltender under contract to protect at all, since Tokarski must be left exposed to fill the requirements.
Projected Protection List
F Jack Eichel
F Jeff Skinner (NMC)
F Sam Reinhart
F Victor Olofsson
F Tage Thompson
F Casey Mittelstadt
F Anders Bjork
D Rasmus Ristolainen
D Rasmus Dahlin
D Henri Jokiharju
G (none)
Skater Exposure Requirement Checklist
When Vegas had their expansion draft, a minimum of two forwards and one defenseman had to be exposed that were under contract and played either 40 games in the most recent season or 70 over the past two combined. Due to the pandemic, those thresholds have been changed to 27 games played in 2020-21 or 54 in 2019/20 and 2020-21 combined. In creating our expansion list for each team in this series, we will ensure that these criteria are met.
Forwards (3): Kyle Okposo, Cody Eakin, Zemgus Girgensons
Defensemen (1): Colin Miller
The Sabres are fine for their protection requirements, though Miller’s exposure does post an interesting option for the Kraken. He of course was the Golden Knights’ selection from the Boston Bruins last time around, and ended up netting Vegas a second and fifth-round pick from Buffalo after putting up some big numbers in increased minutes. At just 28, is it unthinkable that the Kraken could try to pull off a similar trick with the right-shot defenseman, pulling him out of the struggling Sabres shadow and giving him prime offensive minutes on an expansion roster?
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Contract information courtesy of CapFriendly.
Flyers To Expose Jakub Voracek In NHL Expansion Draft
The Philadelphia Flyers and longtime franchise standout Jakub Voracek are heading for an interesting off-season. The two sides are at a cross roads with the Flyers hoping to improve and get back to the playoffs, but with limited salary cap space to do so. The team currently has just 14 players signed to one-way contracts for next season, but at a sum of $64.78MM, leaving them with only $16.72MM to add nine more players to the roster, including re-signing several key restricted free agents and ideally adding a top-four defenseman and reliable goaltender. The math doesn’t quite add up and Voracek’s $8.25MM AAV over three more seasons does not help. Voracek’s production is still strong, but has been in decline since a career year in 2017-18 and is currently not at the level expected given his lofty salary. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, the relationship between the club and the soon-to-be 32-year-old winger are “not acrimonious”, as the two sides agree that a change of scenery may be in the best interest of both.
In order to accomplish that separation, the Flyers are not above giving Voracek away. Friedman writes that the veteran has been informed that he will be exposed in the upcoming NHL Expansion Draft, giving the Seattle Kraken the first shot at adding the former All-Star. This has been speculated by many given both the Flyers’ cap concerns but also their depth at forward. With at least forwards that deserve consideration for protection, including Voracek, and only a maximum of seven protection slots up front, Philadelphia will have to make some difficult calls. Exposing Voracek is confirmed to be one of them. While the cap commitment is an obstacle, Voracek has averaged close to 20 goals and 65 points at a full-season pace for the past dozen years and can still be a top-six forward for the right team. Losing an asset like that for nothing could be a difficult, but necessary move for the Flyers. The Kraken meanwhile have some incentive to take high-priced players, as they must hit a salary minimum in the Expansion Draft. While a number of expensive contracts will be available, Seattle head coach Dave Hakstol, the former head coach of the Flyers during some of Voracek’s best seasons, could be keen to bring in his former star.
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Of course, the Kraken will have other options from Philadelphia as well, quite possibly even another high-priced but valuable scorer in James van Riemsdyk, as well as some young forwards and affordable defensemen. If they opt not to select Voracek, Friedman notes that the Flyers will move on and begin trade talks with other teams (if they haven’t already). While they won’t get fair market value for the accomplished scorer given their well-established cap issues, they will at least have a chance to get something back for Voracek in a trade as opposed to Expansion Draft selection.
If however, they can’t find a trade that they feel is fair, Friedman also notes that the two sides have an understanding that he may stay put and appear to be okay with that outcome, although it would leave the Flyers with a cap headache still to solve. With multiple potential outcomes, this summer could be a rollercoaster for Philadelphia and Voracek, but his old coach and the league’s newest team have the option of making it a short ride.